Reinforced Ring Binding Tutorial by Nancy Wethington

Hi Everyone. It's Nancy Wethington with you, coming to you today from Nancy-land with a super simple tutorial using loose leaf rings. My inspiration came from an antique photo album I purchased years ago. The binding was reinforced and I thought I'd try that today.

When I'm working with a ring binding, after time the rings start wearing on the paper. I didn't want that to happen again so I created this binding:

Step 1: The Inside Pages:

• Cut 6 pieces of cardstock 9.75" wide X 6.5" tall.
• With the 9.75" side up against the top of your scoreboard, score at 1.5". Repeat until all 6 pages are scored.
• The 1.5" area is going to be used for the reinforced binding pages.
  
  

• Cut 6 pieces of cardstock 6.5" tall X 2" wide.
• With the 2" wide side up against the top of your scoreboard, score at 1".  Repeat with all 6 pieces.
  
  

• Fold all 6 pieces on the score line.
• Using either wet glue or scor-tape, fold the 2" wide piece over the 1.5" wide piece of each page - with 1" of the binding strip on each side of the page.
  
  

You will end up with 1" binding strip on each side of the page. This binding strip will not touch the score mark on the page. You will have a bit of a margin on the page which will make turning the pages easier once it's bound.

Don't punch holes quite yet (I got ahead of myself).

Step 2: Covers: I used a heavy chipboard for the covers.

• Cut 2 pieces of chipboard 9" wide X 6.75" tall.
• Cut 2 pieces of chipboard 1.5" wide X 6.75" tall.

For this next step I use reinforced packing tape. Some people use Tyvek but I find the cross-hatched reinforced packing tape to be more affordable and readily available.

Both the front and back covers are assembled exactly the same.

• Lay the 9" wide piece on your work table in front of you.
• Lay the 1.5" wide piece to the left of the 9" piece, leaving 3/8" of an inch in between the two pieces. That 3/8" gusset will insure that your paper will not tear when opening and closing your book.

• Using a piece of packing tape that is 6.75" tall, add wet glue to the packing tape and tape the 1.5" piece to the 9" piece, making sure to leave the 3/8" gusset in place. You will see a bit of tape in that gusset and that's good.

• Take a second piece of packing tape. Add wet glue to the tape and place it on the top side of the covers.  Press your finger (not finger nail) in the gusset to glue the tape one to another. Make sure the tape is glued firmly to the chipboard covers.  Repeat for the back cover.
  
  

Step 3: Covering the Covers:

Inside Covers:

• Cut 2 pieces of cardstock (I used black) 10.75" wide X 6.75" tall. 
• Adhere to the inside of both the front & back chipboard covers. 
• Gently press your finger in the gusset to ensure the book will open & close properly.
  
  

Outside Covers:

• Cut 2 pieces of cardstock (I used black) 9" wide X 6.75" tall.
• Adhere to the outside of both the front & back chipboard covers, avoiding both the gusset and the 1.5" margins.
  
  

Next, choose a piece of fabric that will blend with the decorative papers you want to use.

• Using pinking shears, cut a piece of fabric 3.75" wide X 6.75" tall.
• Place scor-tape on the 1.5 margin up to but not over the gusset.
• Remove the top of the scor-tape and add the fabric over the tape, avoiding placing any fabric in the gusset.  You've completed the inside cover.
  
  

 Turn the cover and fabric over and we'll work on the outside cover.

• Add 2 inches of scor-tape to the front cover, over the binding area and over the gusset.
• Remove the white of the scor-tape and press the fabric onto the scor-tape, making sure to avoid any creases.
• Cut a piece of cardstock 9" wide X 6.75" tall.
• Adhere to the front & back covers (outside only), avoiding the gusset and fabric binding. (This will cover the pinked edge of the fabric that overlays on the cover.)
  
  

Step 4: The Holes:

• For the covers: I punched the holes 1.5" in from the top & bottom and 3/4" in from the side.
• For the pages: Punch the holes 1.25" in from the top & bottom and 1/2" in from the side.
• Once the holes in the cover were punched, I used a bit of FrayCheck on the holes, just as a reinforcement from fraying.

Now it's time to decorate.

Flips, folds & magnets on each page.

Flowers, prills & a frame all from Prima Marketing.

I hope you've enjoyed this tutorial today and are inspired to play along with our current challenge for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to Lindy's Stamp Gang.  Don't forget to join our First Blogaversary Blog Hop for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to Blitsy.com!  Find those details HERE.  Thanks for visiting, Nancy

Winners Post for August 2018

There were so many amazing entries in our August Challenge.  Thanks so much to each of you!  Make sure to peek back at those entries HERE for inspiration overload.  It's never an easy job to narrow down to a few winners, but without further ado...

The overall design team favorite badge goes to Margaret Mifsud of Margyz Paper Games!  We truly loved the incredible details Margaret included in this handmade junk journal.  Page after beautiful page is perfectly balanced and designed.

We would love to invite you to be our guest designer for the month of September.  Please email Autumn at teamclark@rocketmail.com to discuss further.

Our top five entries are equally incredible.  Each of you, please take our top five badge and display it proudly on your blogs.  In no particular order...

Maria of Maka Art always leaves us wanting more with her exquisite albums.  The soft cover balanced with the natural images in black and pastels is such an amazing combination!  

Each page is a lesson in layering and collage we could all learn from.  What a beauty!

Next we were completely smitten with the work of Hilo & Papel of Fils et Papiers.  This album is the most unique design and the use of tiny photographs is brilliant.

You simply MUST take time to watch the video shared on her blog link to soak up the details of this delightful little book. 

Olga from Scraplady brought the Graphic45 Safari collection to life with her fabric covered junk journal.  My oh my is this ever a paper lover's dream!

The kraft pages are the perfect base for this junk journal.  The collages are inviting and inspiring.

Marina Ignatova of Create with Love was also in the mood for a nature inspired book.  Her color palette is completely different, but incredibly beautiful and naturesque. 

What a wonderful flip through video to showcase the many folds and flaps this album contains!

Finally we have Deb Riddle of Paxton Valley Folk Art who shared a brilliant file folder album!  We've all made them and love them, but Deb has certainly called us back to this beloved form with her charming vintage accents and embellishments.

Make sure to check out the flip through Deb has shared for all of the details.

A big thanks to each of you who played along.  And now, the announcement of the winner of the Eileen Hull Journaling Hearts Die...

And the winner is.....

That's Gail Scott of I Like Paper!  Gail shared several beautiful folios with us in August.  Here is one of our favorites.  We know you will enjoy using Eileen's beautiful die in your future projects.

Please email Autumn at teamclark@rocketmail.com to claim your prize.  We hope you are fully inspired and will play along with our September challenge for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to Lindy's Stamp Gang.  Make sure to comment on our designers blogs for the September blogaversary hop for a second chance to win a $25 gift certificate to Blitsy.com.

September Blogaversary Mini Album Tutorials and Challenge

Join me in celebrating Mini Album Makers Challenge first Blogaversary today!  To celebrate our Blogaversary, we've organized a blog hop this month.  We're giving away a $25 gift certificate to Blitsy.com to one lucky reader whose name will be chosen at random from all of the comments on the Design Team blogs.  In addition, Lindy's Stamp Gang will give a $25 gift certificate to one lucky participant in our challenge.

Make sure to click on each designer and comment for a chance to win our hop prize from Blitsy.  And play along to win our challenge prize from Lindy's.

Website - https://www.lindysgang.com/

Blog - https://lindysgang.blog/

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/user/lindysgang/

We finished our first year with an amazing array of entries in our August Challenge.  If you haven't reviewed those, you're in for a treat!  This month our designers have worked hard to bring you a great new selection of mini album tutorials.  Without further ado...

Nancy Wethington

Hop on over to Art-From-The-Heart to see what I'm up to for our Blogaversary post and a free PDF on how to use magnets.

Jennie

A diary within a box within a journal!  Want to see more?  Then hop on over to Live The Dream for all the details and a tutorial for the little mini album diary.

Anne

I have gone all teeny tiny for my project this month, if you would like to see more, please visit my blog here to see my sea themed project.

Maria

This is our Blogaversary! Today it is all about bright colors on my blog :) Please see THIS POST for more pictures of my notebooks and a tutorial on cover coloring with alcohol inks.

Alison

With so much excitement with all this celebrating and hopping, I was in need of something calm and soothing, so I created a very gentle journal.  Hop over to Words and Pictures to find out the other reason I was in need of these lovely calming neutrals.

Inna

Hello!  I did something interesting and recorded a video tutorial for you.  You need to go to my blog to find out what kind of work I prepared for you ;))

Autumn

I'm sharing a quick and easy cardboard junk journal tutorial for you gelli plate lovers.  Take a look at SewPaperPaint.

We would like to take a moment to say thank you to our DT member Astrid for being a part of our first year.  Astrid has made the tough decision to step down from our team.  We wish her the very best in the future!  Make sure to follow Astrid's blog to keep up with her other creative pursuits.  Thank you so much for making our first year memorable Astrid!  <3

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I hope these peeks have sparked your imagination and you will pay the design team blogs a visit plus play along with our challenge, which ends at 11:55 pm EST on September 30.  Join us on September 7 for our August winners announcement.

Our challenge follows a few simple rules:

Any Handmade Book Goes.  Enter any form of handmade mini albums, scrapbooks, journals and book arts.  Our focus is on completed works, so no layouts or journal spreads that are not part of a complete handmade book project.  You do not have to provide a tutorial, but we wish you would.  Feel free to use one of the DT tutorials to make your project and give proper credit where due.  No back linking allowed.  You must add our badge to your post and link to our challenge to be eligible to win the prize.  Combine with any other challenges as applicable.  Please limit to entering 3 (three) handmade books per month in our challenge.  Permalinks only and no back linking.  Share the love by visiting and commenting on other entries.  Please become a follower.  That's it - have fun!

* Make sure to add our badge to your post *
and link back to our challenge. 

*GET SOCIAL*
Submit your entries to our Facebook page for extra love.
Tag us @minialbummakers with your entries on Instagram for a repost.

Please note: This is a public blog and by linking your project you agree to have your name, blog link and the creation you linked shown on this blog and other Mini Album Maker Challenge social media sites. If you do not agree to this, please do not join in the challenge. Also, remember that any comments and/or linked projects left on this blog will be visible/clickable by third parties as this blog is public.  Email addresses are required for entry by InLinkz and accessible to this blog's moderators.  Your email address may be used to contact you regarding your entries.  We will not share your information willingly for any other purposes.  (This was posted to be in compliance with the new GDPR law that will soon become effective in the EU, and will also apply to blogs located in the US if blog visitors reside in the EU.)

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